The 'Bands I don't Get' thread (1 Viewer)

Everyone was giving it socks except Frank Black who was just a black hole of phoning it in, a bizarre sight to see the front person wishing they weren't there while everyone else is having loads of fun. Maybe it's just his stage persona though, IDK

I've seen them twice since the reunion & thought the exact same thing. Dissapointing.
 
...Everyone was giving it socks except Frank Black who was just a black hole of phoning it in, a bizarre sight to see the front person wishing they weren't there while everyone else is having loads of fun. Maybe it's just his stage persona though, IDK

I saw him with Frank Black and the Catholics and he looked like he was having a whale of a time.

Maybe he should post "(The) Pixies" in this thread too
 
Chicago

Steely Dan

Zappa



Basically all the 70s jazz-rock stuff that didn't have the decency to go full prog and was too self-conscious to try and do soul.
 
I've gone off Zappa in my old age. Some of it is still class but the shitty humour does nothing for me
 
Zappa

Basically all the 70s jazz-rock stuff that didn't have the decency to go full prog and was too self-conscious to try and do soul.
Actually the Mothers of Invention moonlighted as a soul band, for example on Nolan Porters first album.

But yeah, Zappa is way too up his own arse.
 
I've gone off Zappa in my old age. Some of it is still class but the shitty humour does nothing for me
I only like about 20% of Zappa's stuff:

Bad:
- the toilet humour/smut
- the obviousness of most of the politics
- the rambling noise stuff (like most of "Weasels ripped my flesh")

Good:
- Let's make the water turn black
- the sax part in "don't eat the yellow snow"
- We're only in it for the money
- etc
 
Things about zappa

He was a satirist, like he was live satirizing the whole music industry at a rate of about three albums a year for most of his working life. Usually three albums a year that if your local band pulled off one of them you'd be in awe. Because of this his lyrics probably have a shelf life of about 6 months before they sound stupid. Once in a while he nailed it though. Also he comes across as a dick sometimes, but i put this down to not really wanting to spend time on things that weren't music, suffering fools and all that.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


He was an absolutely devastatingly good guitarist. Technically he called it 'air sculpture'. I don't think he was afraid to go full prog, I just think his beginning point was already past it. This video is from the same year as dark side of the moon being released. Also when steve vai joined the operation he was credited as 'stunt guitarist' on a lot of stuff. I love the blend of high school band conductor/guitar shamen in this.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Also - he was probably post-prog by 1974

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Also i just read that Tina Turner was on the studio version of Montana

Frank Zappa wanted to use backup singers on the songs "I'm the Slime", "Dirty Love", "Zomby Woof", "Dinah-Moe Humm" and "Montana". His road manager suggested The Ikettes, and Ike & Tina Turner were contacted. Ike Turner insisted that Zappa pay the singers, including Tina Turner, no more than $25 per song.[1] However, an invoice shows that they were actually paid $25 per hour, and in total $187.50 each for 7 1/2 hours of service.[2] During the recording sessions at Bolic Sound, Tina brought Ike into the studio to hear the highly difficult middle section of "Montana" which had taken the Ikettes a few days to learn and master. Ike listened to the tape and responded "What is this shit?" before leaving the studio.[1] Ike later insisted that Zappa not credit the Ikettes on the released album.[1]

Also his work ethic is a wonderful thing. He essentially fired his band almost annually and people had to re-audition to do another tour. No booze/drugs on tour. Actually i think most of his lyrics that are now problematic would be referring pretty directly to his contemporaries that probably would have driven him crazy on shared bills.

Nobody needs to read this but just a scroll will give an idea of the rate he was going at


But whats great about this is that you had this guy getting the best musicians he could get his hands on playing almost impossible music while singing about the dumbest stuff on the planet. Its a comedy in itself.

Huge hellenic influence on everything to my ear also.

I've listened to his entire discography about twice, i just wont live long enough to get through it all and certainly he has about 3-4 modes and I like two of them. Complete tower of a creative though. Even if you hate every sound he ever made his attitude to time, life and focus is inspirational.
 
actually just spotted this comment - which i think puts the satire element in context better than i have

I went to this show. Can't believe I found it here after all these years. You have no idea how much a relief Frank Zappa was from the US Bicentennial being celebrated ad nauseum around the country and all over the media in 1976. The disco scene was going strong...Christ...For a young guy like me at the time, getting the sense that there were artists like Frank, who sneered at the establishment with irony and humor, was one of the things that kept me going and not falling into despair. Jack Kerouac helped a lot, too. Music, Art, and Literature have gotten me through some of the toughest times, and they're still doing it today. Thanks, Frank.

posted on this:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
TBH, I have no time for pisstake music. Like, I love Sparks, and there's definitely a similarity there, but there's a gleeful love of pop music in their stuff, Zappa just seems to be sneering at everyone. I suppose there's a fine line between sneering and satire, and I think in this world of irony-poisoning there's a serious lack of straight forward satire - everyone is always hedging their bets with a "do i mean it or do i not" thing - at least you know he's looking down at you. hmm.

No doubt he had amazing skills and prolific output and productivity but zero of them are a requirement for good art. Frank Zappa: releasing music at an efficient pace, hero of the capitalists. (OK, he probably wasn't efficient releasing that much at all, too much for everyone to process)

I imagine his classical stuff is probably good but i'll never listen.
 
Last edited:
No doubt he had amazing skills and prolific output and productivity but zero of them are a requirement for good art.

Yeah i get that - I just think a lot of it is great art. The few live ones i posted above (not black napkins thats a 20 minute solo with overtone singing) you can kinda get a feel for the sillyness of it all, which probably comes across more like sneering on the records. I think live is where its at with zappa generally.
 
Probably 'broken hearts are for assholes' would cover that.*


*Edit: the really great live version of this isn't on the internet.
 
Last edited:
Zappa is definitely musical marmite. I have (goes and counts them) 11 albums. He was a workaholic & put out a lot of music in his lifetime. You have do some research before choosing what albums to get. I find most of the albums inconsistent . The most approachable are apostrophe & overnite sensation. The lyrics will either annoy the shit out of you or make laugh. He makes me laugh. And the incredible musicianship makes me smile.
Although he was relentlessly cynical.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Activity
So far there's no one here

21 Day Calendar

Mohammad Syfkhan 'I Am Kurdish' Dublin Album Launch
Bello Bar
1 Portobello Harbour, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, Ireland
Mohammad Syfkhan 'I Am Kurdish' Dublin Album Launch
Bello Bar
1 Portobello Harbour, Saint Kevin's, Dublin, Ireland

Support thumped.com

Support thumped.com and upgrade your account

Upgrade your account now to disable all ads... If we had any... Which we don't right now.

Upgrade now

Latest posts

Latest threads

Back
Top